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Thursday, October 21, 2010
AP Only- The Summer I Was Sixteen- Geraldine Connolly
This poem is full of vivid imagery, for example "the turquoise pool", "cherry colas, hot-dogs, Dreamsicles, we came to the counter where bees staggered into root beer cups and drowned", "cotton candy torches", "summer shadows", "we spread our chenille blankets across grass, pressed radios to our ears", "loosened thin bikini straps", and more. Connolly uses the words us, we, and our repeatedly showing that it's a group and pictorially descibes how this group of girls' spent their summer. It's also in past tense so it is reminiscent of this girl's summer that she was sixteen. It shows the typical summer of teens, careless and free. "We did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy", "oiled and sated, we sunbathed", "mouthing the old words, then loosened thin bikini straps and rubbed baby oil with iodine across sunburned shoulders". This is a good description a what every teen girls' summer is like, it's a perfect summer for a yound teen, an "improbable world" if you will, one that never lasts and goes by too fast. Connolly also makes an allusion saying, "[we] danced to the low beeat of 'Duke of Earl'". I don't think I quite grasped the concept of the poem but that's what I got from it.
With the words "lifted", "ladder", "rose and paraded", "danced", loosened", the speaker indicates the carefree and elated state of her sixteenth year. The speaker's heavy use of imagery, for instance "we plunged, screaming, into a mirage of bubbles" indicates that the only thing she cared about her sixteenth year was having innocent, worry-free fun. The diction of "mirage" is that she was surrounded by an illusion that life was full of "cherry colas...Dreamsicles",and while she was stuck int that dream-like state in "an improbable world" she "did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy". She was preoccupied, like other teenage girls, with boys, hanging out with friends, and listening to music. " The "summer shadows" kept her hidden from the from the real world, but she would eventually be "tossing a glance through a chain link" and discover the life beyond adolescence.
The tone of this poem is cheerful, regretless, and nostalgic. I think it is cheerful because the diction is very upbeat and specific, showing how memorable all these experiences were. I think it is regretless because based on the actions of these girls; they lived their life to the fullest and didn’t think twice. It is nostalgic because the author wants to be able to go back in time to do this again, but now she is an adult and can’t live like that anymore. There is a lot of allusions in this poem to their memories. The diction is very specific and shows the audience that these girls were very observant in what they did, and that they didn’t forget a thing. There is a lot of alliteration, “sunburned shoulders” “summer shadows”, and “cotton candy”. This use of alliteration gives the poem a more flowing vibe, showing the child-like, innocent tone. There is also anaphora throughout the whole poem with the use of “We”. The author starts almost every sentence with “we” to make sure the audience includes her friends. This whole poem is about their memories together, and the fact that the author used anaphora shows that none of these memories would have happened without her friends. The poem is very innocent and I think the theme is live your life to the fullest and never forget the people who changed your life the most.
As katie said, this poem is very nostalgic. I don't know what the connotation of nostalgic is but if nostalgic means happy thoughts at your past then this would be it. The author looks back at all the things in her teenage years and everything has a light sense to it even when she says "rubbed baby oil with iodine across sunburned shoulders." I personally know sunburns are not that pleasant and the author makes it seem like it was just another element to all her carefree fun she has as a teen. She also states that there's dancing in the same stanza that describes bees drowning in root beer. I think the poem represents a young adult/child by seeming carefree with all the fragments and repeated specificness of the trees and foods. The description sets the poem alive, like how a young adult feels.
I do like the word nostalgic to describe this poem. To me it is also naive and carefree. The poem captures the mindset of a sixteen year old girl and her friends who thinks that the whole world has eyes on them. The imagery such as mirage of bubbles makes everything so vivid, even the cotton candy torch, sweet as furtive kisses. It would be kisses, boys, and tanning that the girls care about even though they're sunburned. The naivete also is revealed as the girls put baby oil on their sunburned shoulders which would only exacerbate the problem. Even the glance tossed through the fence at the improbable world suggests that their world only exists in that pond where they feel special and important. Their confidence is exuded in the way they parade and dance around. They act like "it" girls in that pool and that really captures the world of a sixteen year old.
As others have said, it's a very nostalgic piece reflective of the past. The imagery is bright, and flawless, like looking through rose-tinted glasses. There's nothing dark or foreboding, unless the bee drowning counts. I'm not sure what to make of that really.
All that matters in the poem is the fun things, nothing serious matters. It's all about boys, dancing, music, root beer, and tanning. Better times.
I would use the words innocent and nostalgic to describe this poem. The diction with words like bubbles, rose, danced, Dreamsicles, cotton candy, kisses, summer, cherry, blankets, and baby gave a very innocent tone, because they were happy, light, simple child-like words. The imagery was also very prominent with words like turqoise, silver, screaming, water, oiled and sated, beat (of the music), cherry colas, hot-dogs, and sunburned which all related to the senses. While reading the poem i kept picturing this idea of 2 different worlds because the speaker mentions, "tossing a glance through the chain link fence at an imporbable world." It gave me the idea of her being in one world, fenced in the pool area, in a world that's youthful, innocent, protected, simple, and fun. Then she can see through the fence the other world, the real world, which is unprotected and filled with the unknown. Also, the fact that she is 16 would support this idea because she is still a kid and is still protected, but she is old enough to recognize that their is another world out there, even if she is still too young to understand it.
I agree that the tone is innocent and nostalgic. The author uses many sweet words such as “cherry colas, dreamsicles, root bear, and cotton candy” to suggest that the speaker, at the time that the events were occurring, was innocent and pure. She is untainted and still enjoys pure childish things (for a lack of better words). Each event is described in great detail as to show how important this time frame was for the speaker, enough so that she could name and describe every aspect.
The poem ends on a less upbeat tone, transitioning to the growing up. “Then loosened thin bikini straps” compared to the rest of the poem, the last stanza’s material is somewhat explicit. The speaker also mentions her “sunburned shoulders” which reminds the reader of the great discomfort that comes with sunburns, but most importantly is the last line “through the chain link at an improbable world”. At sixteen, there’s nothing else on a girl’s mind then fun times, fashion, and boys. The speaker is sheltered from the outside world behind the rugged cold chain linked fence and is not prepared for what’s to come.
As basically everyone else has said, this poem is extremely nostalgic. Child-like words such as "bubbles","boys", and "dreamsicles" to give the reader a vivid sense of imagery. The tone is also very carefree as well as nostalgic. It describes a time where teenagers have not a care in the world but having fun and enjoying themselves. It is completely innocent. As others have pointed out, the author uses "we" instead of "I" meaning that she shares this memory with others. This is what makes it very relateable to many people because even though their childhood may have not done the same things as Connolly describes, people can relate to the feeling one gets thinking about summer.
I agree with a cheerful nostalgic tone. I got the vibe that it was an older women reminiscing about her glory days. Not necessarily longing for them, but enjoying the fact that could look back and remember. The speaker leaves no narrative distance between them self and the reader, constantly using "us" and "we." I don't think she was speaking directly to an old friend, but by her tone she could have been. The imagery described by Hayley creates a colorful picture in the readers mind and inevitably forces the reader to travel back to their childhood as well. The allusion to "Dukes of Earl" is an important strategy. The idea isn't song-specific but can be fitted to the reader's favorite summer song from way back when.
As others have said, the main focus of this poem is on the teenage mindset where nothing really matters. It has a dreamy quality with diction like "mirage of bubbles" and the personification in the line "The turquoise pool rose up to meet us". This poem yields a nostalgic tone, especially with the cheerful diction such as "sweet", "gobbled", and "chenille". These words all have positive connotations and are reminiscent of a teenage girl's life. Important literary devices in this piece are: diction, allusions, and imagery.
11 comments:
This poem is full of vivid imagery, for example "the turquoise pool", "cherry colas, hot-dogs, Dreamsicles, we came to the counter where bees staggered into root beer cups and drowned", "cotton candy torches", "summer shadows", "we spread our chenille blankets across grass, pressed radios to our ears", "loosened thin bikini straps", and more. Connolly uses the words us, we, and our repeatedly showing that it's a group and pictorially descibes how this group of girls' spent their summer. It's also in past tense so it is reminiscent of this girl's summer that she was sixteen. It shows the typical summer of teens, careless and free. "We did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy", "oiled and sated, we sunbathed", "mouthing the old words, then loosened thin bikini straps and rubbed baby oil with iodine across sunburned shoulders". This is a good description a what every teen girls' summer is like, it's a perfect summer for a yound teen, an "improbable world" if you will, one that never lasts and goes by too fast. Connolly also makes an allusion saying, "[we] danced to the low beeat of 'Duke of Earl'". I don't think I quite grasped the concept of the poem but that's what I got from it.
With the words "lifted", "ladder", "rose and paraded", "danced", loosened", the speaker indicates the carefree and elated state of her sixteenth year. The speaker's heavy use of imagery, for instance "we plunged, screaming, into a mirage of bubbles" indicates that the only thing she cared about her sixteenth year was having innocent, worry-free fun. The diction of "mirage" is that she was surrounded by an illusion that life was full of "cherry colas...Dreamsicles",and while she was stuck int that dream-like state in "an improbable world" she "did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy". She was preoccupied, like other teenage girls, with boys, hanging out with friends, and listening to music. " The "summer shadows" kept her hidden from the from the real world, but she would eventually be "tossing a glance through a chain link" and discover the life beyond adolescence.
The tone of this poem is cheerful, regretless, and nostalgic. I think it is cheerful because the diction is very upbeat and specific, showing how memorable all these experiences were. I think it is regretless because based on the actions of these girls; they lived their life to the fullest and didn’t think twice. It is nostalgic because the author wants to be able to go back in time to do this again, but now she is an adult and can’t live like that anymore. There is a lot of allusions in this poem to their memories. The diction is very specific and shows the audience that these girls were very observant in what they did, and that they didn’t forget a thing. There is a lot of alliteration, “sunburned shoulders” “summer shadows”, and “cotton candy”. This use of alliteration gives the poem a more flowing vibe, showing the child-like, innocent tone. There is also anaphora throughout the whole poem with the use of “We”. The author starts almost every sentence with “we” to make sure the audience includes her friends. This whole poem is about their memories together, and the fact that the author used anaphora shows that none of these memories would have happened without her friends. The poem is very innocent and I think the theme is live your life to the fullest and never forget the people who changed your life the most.
As katie said, this poem is very nostalgic. I don't know what the connotation of nostalgic is but if nostalgic means happy thoughts at your past then this would be it. The author looks back at all the things in her teenage years and everything has a light sense to it even when she says "rubbed baby oil with iodine across sunburned shoulders." I personally know sunburns are not that pleasant and the author makes it seem like it was just another element to all her carefree fun she has as a teen. She also states that there's dancing in the same stanza that describes bees drowning in root beer. I think the poem represents a young adult/child by seeming carefree with all the fragments and repeated specificness of the trees and foods. The description sets the poem alive, like how a young adult feels.
I do like the word nostalgic to describe this poem. To me it is also naive and carefree. The poem captures the mindset of a sixteen year old girl and her friends who thinks that the whole world has eyes on them. The imagery such as mirage of bubbles makes everything so vivid, even the cotton candy torch, sweet as furtive kisses. It would be kisses, boys, and tanning that the girls care about even though they're sunburned. The naivete also is revealed as the girls put baby oil on their sunburned shoulders which would only exacerbate the problem. Even the glance tossed through the fence at the improbable world suggests that their world only exists in that pond where they feel special and important. Their confidence is exuded in the way they parade and dance around. They act like "it" girls in that pool and that really captures the world of a sixteen year old.
As others have said, it's a very nostalgic piece reflective of the past. The imagery is bright, and flawless, like looking through rose-tinted glasses. There's nothing dark or foreboding, unless the bee drowning counts. I'm not sure what to make of that really.
All that matters in the poem is the fun things, nothing serious matters. It's all about boys, dancing, music, root beer, and tanning. Better times.
I didn't catch the "we" thing. Good catch, Katie.
I would use the words innocent and nostalgic to describe this poem. The diction with words like bubbles, rose, danced, Dreamsicles, cotton candy, kisses, summer, cherry, blankets, and baby gave a very innocent tone, because they were happy, light, simple child-like words. The imagery was also very prominent with words like turqoise, silver, screaming, water, oiled and sated, beat (of the music), cherry colas, hot-dogs, and sunburned which all related to the senses. While reading the poem i kept picturing this idea of 2 different worlds because the speaker mentions, "tossing a glance through the chain link fence at an imporbable world." It gave me the idea of her being in one world, fenced in the pool area, in a world that's youthful, innocent, protected, simple, and fun. Then she can see through the fence the other world, the real world, which is unprotected and filled with the unknown. Also, the fact that she is 16 would support this idea because she is still a kid and is still protected, but she is old enough to recognize that their is another world out there, even if she is still too young to understand it.
I agree that the tone is innocent and nostalgic. The author uses many sweet words such as “cherry colas, dreamsicles, root bear, and cotton candy” to suggest that the speaker, at the time that the events were occurring, was innocent and pure. She is untainted and still enjoys pure childish things (for a lack of better words). Each event is described in great detail as to show how important this time frame was for the speaker, enough so that she could name and describe every aspect.
The poem ends on a less upbeat tone, transitioning to the growing up. “Then loosened thin bikini straps” compared to the rest of the poem, the last stanza’s material is somewhat explicit. The speaker also mentions her “sunburned shoulders” which reminds the reader of the great discomfort that comes with sunburns, but most importantly is the last line “through the chain link at an improbable world”. At sixteen, there’s nothing else on a girl’s mind then fun times, fashion, and boys. The speaker is sheltered from the outside world behind the rugged cold chain linked fence and is not prepared for what’s to come.
As basically everyone else has said, this poem is extremely nostalgic. Child-like words such as "bubbles","boys", and "dreamsicles" to give the reader a vivid sense of imagery. The tone is also very carefree as well as nostalgic. It describes a time where teenagers have not a care in the world but having fun and enjoying themselves. It is completely innocent. As others have pointed out, the author uses "we" instead of "I" meaning that she shares this memory with others. This is what makes it very relateable to many people because even though their childhood may have not done the same things as Connolly describes, people can relate to the feeling one gets thinking about summer.
I agree with a cheerful nostalgic tone. I got the vibe that it was an older women reminiscing about her glory days. Not necessarily longing for them, but enjoying the fact that could look back and remember.
The speaker leaves no narrative distance between them self and the reader, constantly using "us" and "we." I don't think she was speaking directly to an old friend, but by her tone she could have been.
The imagery described by Hayley creates a colorful picture in the readers mind and inevitably forces the reader to travel back to their childhood as well.
The allusion to "Dukes of Earl" is an important strategy. The idea isn't song-specific but can be fitted to the reader's favorite summer song from way back when.
As others have said, the main focus of this poem is on the teenage mindset where nothing really matters. It has a dreamy quality with diction like "mirage of bubbles" and the personification in the line "The turquoise pool rose up to meet us". This poem yields a nostalgic tone, especially with the cheerful diction such as "sweet", "gobbled", and "chenille". These words all have positive connotations and are reminiscent of a teenage girl's life. Important literary devices in this piece are: diction, allusions, and imagery.
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